David Meriwether (politician, 1800)

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David Meriwether

David Meriwether (born October 30, 1800 in Louisa County , Virginia , †  April 4, 1893 near Louisville , Kentucky ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) who represented the state of Kentucky in the US Senate and was governor of the New Mexico Territory acted.

As a toddler, Virginia-born David Meriwether moved with his parents to Kentucky in 1803, where the family settled in Jefferson County . He attended public schools; later he worked in the fur trade in Iowa as well as in agriculture. After completing a law degree , he was admitted to the bar and began practicing as a lawyer.

Politically active Meriwether from 1832, when he was elected to the House of Representatives of Kentucky , to which he belonged until 1845. His candidacy for the US House of Representatives in 1847 was unsuccessful . In 1849 he was a delegate to the constitutional convention of his state, in 1851 he held the office of Secretary of State of Kentucky.

After the death of US Senator Henry Clay , longtime leader of the Whigs , David Meriwether was appointed as his successor in Congress . He took up his mandate from July 6, 1852, but had to hand it over to Archibald Dixon , officially elected as the new Senator, on August 31 of the same year .

US President Franklin Pierce named Meriwether governor of the New Mexico Territory the following year after the actual candidate, Senator Solon Borland of Arkansas , rejected the post. In New Mexico he was struggling with Indian problems. However, he managed to conclude peace treaties with the Indians, at least for a short time. Meriwether ruled the territory until 1855 and then returned to Kentucky, where he was again a member of the State House of Representatives from 1858 to 1885, where he temporarily served as a speaker . In old age he retired on his plantation near Louisville, where he died in 1893.

Web links

  • David Meriwether in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
personal data
SURNAME Meriwether, David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician (Democratic Party)
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1800
PLACE OF BIRTH Louisa County , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH April 4, 1893
Place of death near Louisville , Kentucky